Oh my FSM! I knew quite a lot of this stuff, but bits of it I did not know, and when you put all the pieces together it paints an even uglier picture of the pharmaceutical industry than I thought.

I worked in the Pharma industry for a number of years. It's...disconcerting.

"You bypassed the Maginot line of logic and rationality and annexed the Sudetenland of irrational comparisons!"-Unattrib

"We live in a world where John Lennon was murdered, yet Barry Manilow continues to put out fucking albums. God-dammit! If you're gonna kill somebody, have some fucking taste. I'll drive you to Kenny Rogers' house."-Bill Hicks

"Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens."("Against stupidity, the gods themselves contend in vain.")-- Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805)Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.-- Philip K DickOK, now let's look at four dimensions on the blackboard.-- Dr. JoyEnglish isn't much of a language for swearing. When I studied Ancient Greek I was delighted to discover a single word - Rhaphanidosthai - which translates roughly as "Be thou thrust up the fundament with a radish for adultery."

I got distracted and played guitar for a few nights instead of reading. Back into it again, I'll probably finish it tomorrow.

"Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens."("Against stupidity, the gods themselves contend in vain.")-- Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805)Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.-- Philip K DickOK, now let's look at four dimensions on the blackboard.-- Dr. JoyEnglish isn't much of a language for swearing. When I studied Ancient Greek I was delighted to discover a single word - Rhaphanidosthai - which translates roughly as "Be thou thrust up the fundament with a radish for adultery."

Finished Hunger Games. Considerably darker and creepier than the movie. Involves wholesale slaughter of kids by one another, including bringing the dead back to life as mind-controlled killer werewolves who slowly kill a kid over a day or so, but has no sex so it's O.K. for kids by US reckoning...

I believe it's time for mankind to set aside the crutch of religion and embrace morality born of reason and truth. Those crutches have long since proven treacherous when the ground gets slippery.

"Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens."("Against stupidity, the gods themselves contend in vain.")-- Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805)Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.-- Philip K DickOK, now let's look at four dimensions on the blackboard.-- Dr. JoyEnglish isn't much of a language for swearing. When I studied Ancient Greek I was delighted to discover a single word - Rhaphanidosthai - which translates roughly as "Be thou thrust up the fundament with a radish for adultery."

Finished Casual Vacancy. It gets better after page 400, just in time before it ends. Still, not a page turner. Unless you count turning 100 pages at a time. ;)

Grand Deducer Watson of Sherlock. NoName, no pack drill. Astral zone changed five times a day (flexible). Great at manifesting parking spaces by thought control. Hatred of terminology of survivors and commitment to win-win reality.

Let me know what you think of Mockingjay. I was rather disappointed with it, but you very well may not be.

"You bypassed the Maginot line of logic and rationality and annexed the Sudetenland of irrational comparisons!"-Unattrib

"We live in a world where John Lennon was murdered, yet Barry Manilow continues to put out fucking albums. God-dammit! If you're gonna kill somebody, have some fucking taste. I'll drive you to Kenny Rogers' house."-Bill Hicks

Stephen King: "The Little Sisters of Eluria" (The Dark Tower) -Could never get past book oneTerry Goodkind: "Debt of Bones" (The Sword of Truth) -started out OK but i gave up around 7 or 8 books inOrson Scott Card: "Grinning Man" (The Tales of Alvin Maker) -read the first 5 and meh.Robert Silverberg: "The Seventh Shrine" (Majipoor) -Yet to tryUrsula K. Le Guin: "Dragonfly" (Earthsea) -read the trilogy as a kid, there are new ones nowRaymond E. Feist: "The Wood Boy" (The Riftwar Saga) -read a bunch, 6-7 at leastTerry Pratchett: "The Sea and Little Fishes" (Discworld) -Yet to tryGeorge R. R. Martin: "The Hedge Knight" (A Song of Ice and Fire) -Amazing series, read all 5Tad Williams: "The Burning Man" (Memory, Sorrow and Thorn) -Excellent trilogy, read all 3Anne McCaffrey: "Runner of Pern" (Dragonriders of Pern) -Read 8 or 9 as a kidRobert Jordan: "New Spring" (The Wheel of Time) -read all 15

I stalled out on Gardens of the Moon recently, I may try it again, but I'm also curious how good Majipoor and Discworld are. Discworld's been recommended to me alot, but usually described as humorous, and I cringe a little cause it sounds like Xanth which I did not particularly like. Any recommendations?

I believe it's time for mankind to set aside the crutch of religion and embrace morality born of reason and truth. Those crutches have long since proven treacherous when the ground gets slippery.

Rainswept wrote:I stalled out on Gardens of the Moon recently, I may try it again, but I'm also curious how good Majipoor and Discworld are. Discworld's been recommended to me alot, but usually described as humorous, and I cringe a little cause it sounds like Xanth which I did not particularly like. Any recommendations?

I love Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen series. Absolutely epic, and doesn't get bogged down the way that The Wheel of Time did (for me). I highly recommend it.

Discworld is "like Xanth" in the same way that Monty Python's Flying Circus is like Joanie Loves Chachi. Yes, both of them are both comedic television shows, but one is clearly superior.

"You bypassed the Maginot line of logic and rationality and annexed the Sudetenland of irrational comparisons!"-Unattrib

"We live in a world where John Lennon was murdered, yet Barry Manilow continues to put out fucking albums. God-dammit! If you're gonna kill somebody, have some fucking taste. I'll drive you to Kenny Rogers' house."-Bill Hicks